Korean forward Lee Hyun-jung signs Exhibit 10 deal with NBA's Portland
Korea's Lee Hyun-jung, right, competes for the ball with Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Alsuwailem during the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian second round qualifier Group F basketball match between Korea and Saudi Arabia in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 31. AP-Yonhap
Korean sharpshooter Lee Hyun-jung signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Portland Trail Blazers with an invite to training camp, the player's agency said Monday, giving himself a shot at reaching the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Epic Sports said Lee, 25, agreed to the Exhibit 10 deal, a one-year, non-guaranteed pact that offers a minimum salary, with the Trail Blazers.
Lee will be given a chance to earn a spot on Portland's roster in training camp later in the fall. Even if he does not make it to the NBA, Lee will be awarded a bonus by spending some time with the Trail Blazers' G League affiliate, Rip City Remix.
An Exhibit 10 contract can also be converted to a two-way deal, which will allow the player to split time between the NBA and the G League.
The agency said Lee had hoped to sign a two-way contract at the onset but added the Exhibit 10 deal will be "an important starting point" for Lee to potentially begin an NBA career.
Lee, a product of Davidson College, declared for NBA draft in 2022 but suffered a foot injury only days before the draft. He has since spent time playing in Australia and Japan.
This summer, he played for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Summer League and later attended mini camps for the Boston Celtics and the New Orleans Pelicans.
As a sophomore, Lee became the first Davidson player to put up the coveted 50-40-90 shooting numbers: 50.8 percent from the field, 44.2 percent from the three-point range and 90 percent from the free throw line.
Lee comes from a basketball family. His mother, Seong Jeong-a, helped Korea win silver at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. His father, Lee Yun-hwan, played semi-pro hoops in the 1980s and has been a prominent high school coach since retiring in 1991.
Lee Hyun-jung is set to represent Korea at the Asian Games, with the men's tournament starting Thursday in Nagoya, Japan.
Only one Korean has played in the NBA so far: a 7-foot-3 former center Ha Seung-jin. Ha was selected 46th overall by the Trail Blazers in the 2004 draft, and appeared in 46 games across two seasons. Ha averaged 1.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in the NBA.